Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Australian Army and the Royal australian Air Force. A video of the ADF: During the first decades of the 20th century, the Australian Goverment established three sperate and armed services. Each service had an independent chain of command, however in 1976, the Australian goverment created the ADF, in order to place services under a single headquaters. The ADF is technologically advanced, but is relativley small. Although the ADF's 53,000full-time-active duty personal and 20,000 reservists make it the largest military in Oceania, the Australian Defence Forceis smaller than most Asian Militarys. Section 68 of the Constitution of The Commonwealth of Australia sets out the ADF's command arrangements. The section states that "The command in cheif of naval and military forces of the commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General as Queen Elizabeth II's representative. The constitution does not mention the RAAF, because aircraft had not been invented when it was written. The Governor-General does not really have much to do with the ADF. The Minister for defence and sveral other ministers control the ADF. The Australian army devoloped the flying corps in 1912, although this seperated in 1921to form the Royal Australian Air force(RAAF). In 2000, the Australian Government developed a White Paper to guide all aspects of its defence policy. The White Paper sets out and explains the ADF's priorities. The paper states that the ADF has three priorities. The first of these priorities is to maintain the capability to defend Australian territory from any credible attack, without relying on help from the combat forces of any other country. The second priority is to contribute to the security of Australia immediate neighbourhood through working with neighbouring countries and participating in United Nations-sanctioned peacekeeping operations. The third priority for the ADF is to contribute to international coalitions of forces outside of Australia immediate neighbourhood where Australian interests are engaged. The ADF is also responsible for contributing to coastal surveillance and responding to emergencies, including naturural disasters. The Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross is the pre-eminent award for acts of bravery in war-time and Australias highest military honour.It is awarded to persons who, in the presence of the enemy, display most conspicuous gallantry; a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice; or an extreme devotion to duty. Australia has maintained military forces since federation as a nation in January 1901. Upon Federation, the Australian Government established the Australian Army and Commonwealth Naval Force. In 1909, the Government established the Royal Australian Navy, which absorbed the Commonwealth Naval Force. The Army established the Australian Flying Corps in 1912 although this separated to form the Royal Australian Air Force in 1921. The services were not linked by a single chain of command, as they each reported to their own separate Minister and had separate administrative arrangements. The three services saw action around the world during World War I and World War II. The importance of 'joint' warfare was made clear to the Australian Military during World War II when Australian naval, ground and air units frequently served as part of single commands. Following the war, several senior officers lobbied for the appointment of a commander in chief of the three services. The government rejected this proposal and the three services remained fully independent. The absence of a central authority resulted in poor coordination between the services with each service organising and operating on the basis of a different military doctrine. The need for an integrated command structured received more emphasis during the Australian military's experiences in the Vietnam War. In 1973, the Secretary of the Department of Defence, Arthur Tange, submitted a report to the Government that recommended the unification of the separate departments supporting each service into a single Department of Defence and the creation of the post of Chief of the Defence Force Staff. The government accepted these recommendations and the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976. The Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce and Mr Michael Bryce have completed a two day visit to Australian troops serving at Tarin Kowt Army Base in Afghanistan. During her visit the Governor-General visited the camp hospital, met the Governor of Oruzgan Province, representatives of the Kabul Children’s Hospital and the Mahboba’s Promise charity organisation. The Governor-General also had a tour of the joint Dutch/Australian base aboard the Australian troops’ Bushmaster vehicles. Category:Australian Defence Force Category:Australia